Humanity's last stand!
by TheDragonReaper
Summary: *SPOILER ALERT! WILL CONTAIN CRUCIAL PLOT DETAILS OF BLEACH AND SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN!* Summary: What if Eren had chosen to attack another horde of Titans the first time he transformed? What if, he had not arrived to save Mikasa? Ichigo finds himself inside the walls...Has he become Mankind's last hope?
1. Chapter 1

*SPOILERS FROM THE MANGA OF BLEACH AND SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN. ENJOY :D )

"Getsuga...Tenshou!" Screamed the dual wielding Shinigami. He grinned in the satisfaction that it had hit the intended target.

_That'll only buy me time_, Ichigo thought as he flash stepped over the numerous buildings in the once soul society. It was weird, returning to the Seireitei and noticing it so different. The dust from the explosion settled, and he saw Juha Bach. If the Getsuga Tenshou had hit, it wasn't showing. Juha Bach had a grin which rivalled that of Kenpachi Zaraki.

"My son, born out of darkness. You think you can best me?!"

Ichigo frowned. He still hadn't used his Bankai. He flash stepped behind Juha Bach and thrust his smaller sword.

"I'm not your son!" He growled, and fought even more heartily. Even Juha Bach was visible sweating now. What had happened? The last time the Quincy had fought Ichigo he hadn't been even near this kind of power. And now...he was suddenly a machine made to slaughter. Juha Bach needed time. Badly.

"Fourth Quadrant" He muttered.

"Cut the crap!" Ichigo yelled, and lashed at him with a wider array of slashes. He went back, and lifted his smaller sword. "Hi no suraisā!"

An arsenal of spiritual energy bombarded Juha Bach from all four sides. He jumped up instinctively, but Ichigo expected this. He rose up in the air, and did a very unorthodox thing. He kicked Juha Bach hard in the gut. Juha Bach crashed into the clock tower which now towered over the soul society. The Shinigamis below could only watch as they saw the two powers clash.

_Ichigo..._Rukia thought. _Beat Juha Bach! _Of course, Rukia couldn't stay here. The onslaught of Reishi could only be handled by a person of captain level spiritual energy.

Ichigo slashed unorthodoxly at Juha. _Good,_ He thought. _Keep him guessing_

"Second Dimension..." What the hell was Juha Bach saying? Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Ichigo let out a Getsuga Tenshou, and flash stepped being Juha Bach and unleashed another attack. The two attacks sandwiched Juha Bach.

Ichigo panted with exhaustion. At this rate, he would need to activate his Bankai. No...that sort of power would destroy the Seireitei.

"Damn it..." He cursed. Juha Bach had nothing but a few burns. "Why doesn't he just die?!" Ichigo dodged the torrent of arrows Juha Bach unleashed.

_Don't just dodge, Ichigo_ he remembered Urahara's words. _Never lay your guard down. Never just dodge. Always keep our enemy guessing and running._

So, that's exactly what Ichigo did. He flash stepped away from the arrows and unleashed half a dozen Getsuga Tenshou. He still knew though, if he kept giving away Reishi like this, he would soon have to use Bankai. He wanted to make sure Juha Bach was defeated before the release.

_Use it only as a last resort...your Bankai is even more dangerous than your Final Getsuga..._

Leave it to everyone around him to know about his powers before him. Ichigo's heart did a flip as he saw Juha Bach down. Not out though. Ichigo flash stepped right above Juha Bach. Ichigo's eyes widened when he saw the Reishi sword in Juha Bach's hand. Ichigo blocked it with his longer Zanpaktou and grinned. There was something special about his defensive one. It doesn't just block a Reishi induced attack. It returned the attack with double the amount of damage it originally dealt.

"Ha!" Ichigo said as he jumped out of the Reishi explosion radius. He grimaced as he saw that the blow had barely scratched the Quincy King. He was panting.

_Lost...too...much...Reishi..._ He panted. _I'm going to have to use Bankai..._

"No!" He screamed as he lashed at Juha Bach with a whole new array of slashes and stabs. Two caught, but none of them brutal. He was satisfied as he saw the trickle of blood rolling down Juha Bach's sides.

_He's human after all_

He had a new found rage after this. He had killed so many people. He had killed the old man, he had killed Kira. Hisagi was missing along with Ikakku and Yumichika. Hinamori and Rangiku were critical. Hitsugaya, well actually Hitsugaya had only suffered a small gash on his left hand, which was healed except for the small traces of Reishi still in it. But it still infuriated Ichigo. Ichigo knew these people were more than capable of defending themselves, but he felt a sense of duty towards them. A duty to protect them at all costs. Then there was that idiot Ishida. Ichigo understood Ishida's plan, but knew it was doomed the moment he heard it.

"_This guy killed the head captain! You think some petty ploy like this is going to fool him! He broke my Bankai!"Ichigo had argued._

"_You were weak, Ichigo .Deep down, you knew that! If you add the time you got your powers back and the time you first found them, you've only been a soul reaper for a year! You lack the experience to beat him!" Ishida spat back._

"_I beat Aizen! You think Juha Bach's different?" Ichigo countered._

"_That was a onetime use only. And if I remember correctly, if it weren't for him" Ishida pointed at an apparently confused Urahara. "Aizen would have beaten you!"_

"_Now you two" Kisuke said, rubbing his ear. "This plan does sound suicidal-"_

"_Thank you!" Ichigo said, folding his arms._

"_But it is our only hope" Ishida wore the usual smug grin. The grin he always wore when he was right._

"_Turns out I win, Strawberry!" Ishida added the last word just to piss Ichigo off._

Ichigo couldn't let things like that distract him now. He had a goal. Defeat Aizen. Wait, Aizen? Ichigo shook his head. Juha Bach. Juha Bach was his primary target.

"Why do you continue this bizarre hope of defeating me?" Juha Bach asked as he met Ichigo with his sword. His sword was a perfect copy of what Ichigo had previously.

_Zangetsu..._Ichigo lost his composure for a second. An arsenal of mixed feelings had clouded his mind. He cursed as Juha Bach took this as an opening to knee Ichigo in the gut. He crashed into a house. He grimaced as he saw Rukia's limp body. She looked at him with concerned eyes. Eyes. Bankai.

"Careful, Ichigo!" She yelled. He nodded and rose, taking a moment to steady himself. He directed his gaze to Juha Bach.

"You taunting me proves I'm getting to you!" Ichigo rose into the sky, but was stopped almost immediately by a hand grabbing him violently by the throat.

"This proves nothing, boy. I shall kill y-." Was all Juha Bach could say before he found his hand being impaled by a small Zanpaktou. Juha Bach howled in pain. The blade had Reishi coating it; the cut had gone deeper than intended.

"Kill me?" Ichigo scoffed. "Don't count on it!" he rose into the sky again. The sun, or whatever it was that lighted the Seireitei, glowed a fiery crimson. Ichigo held both his Zanpaktou in a cross position.

_I'm ready..._He thought, closing his eyes and arching his neck to face the heavens. Urahara had told him to do this.

"_About time!"_ came the usual sly voice as Ichigo realised the world was fading into black.

* * *

Ichigo awoke in the place he had once called 'His mind'. His world was crumbling. The buildings were falling into a water body that had enveloped his mind.

"Oh, Ichigo" came the very familiar sly voice. "You're a downright boring bastard!"

"Why am I here? Where is Zangetsu?" Ichigo screamed.

His hollow grinned maliciously. "He isn't Zangetsu, dumbass! He was your Quincy powers. He is the part of you that is Juha Bach. Where he is? Look there!" he pointed a pale finger at the top of a building. Ichigo flash stepped towards the building and faced his former Zanpaktou.

"I'm ready..." Ichigo said.

"No, you are not, Ichigo" Zangetsu's voice faint. "But, I see you have no other choice!"

"I am ready! Urahara told me you'd tell me about my Bankai!"

"Your Bankai is...complicated. It is much different from the other Zanpaktous...you have two spirits habiting your mind. These two entities create your Zanpaktou, making it instable. Bankai is when we become one. This process of course, needs a lot of Reishi. And once you go in, you will have to fight us again. Fight us as one!"

"Why?"

"It is to stabilise what cannot be! The power we emit when we join is tremendous. You will have to hold us off as long as possible. You will enter a stage of complete nothingness for a good ten seconds when you activate your Bankai. You become invulnerable in a cocoon of Reiatsu, but you will also become immobile. Your Bankai is like a time bomb. You cannot use it for long, thus you have to make the most of it. And there are certain...side effects to using Bankai"

"Side effects? Like what?" Ichigo yelled. "I'm willing to pay the price!"

"Even if it meets never meeting your friends again?" his hollow stood at Zangetsu's side. "Never seeing the people you love?"

"What?" Ichigo looked at Zangetsu with a panicked expression. His hollow burst out laughing.

"I'm just screwing with you! No, you'll go back. But, it depends on how long you can hold us at bay!"

"But, if I'm fighting you, how will I fight Juha Bach?!"

"That is the side effect. When you activate your Bankai for the first time, you will not be in control of your body. Your body will be inhabited by a series of thoughts. These thoughts control your Bankai, using it to the fullest of extent!" Zangetsu's voice loud now.

"This is why Kisuke sent you here. His Bankai is somewhat similar to yours, thus his knowledge of your Bankai. Or at least, that is my guess as to why he sent you here" Zangetsu closed his eyes.

"Before you initiate Bankai, you'll need to look in the eyes of the people you want to protect. It'll help ya focus!" his hollow said, shutting those yellow eyes. "That's the reason ya fight after all, ain't it king?"

* * *

Ichigo was brought back to reality. He noticed the conversation with his Zanpaktou had happened in the fraction of a section. Juha Bach seemed to be closing his eyes. Was he chanting something? That was when Juha Bach opened his eyes; his right palm outstretched towards Ichigo. Ichigo looked at the scatter of people on the Seireitei streets. He could make out Rukia through the hole he had just left on the house he had unceremoniously broken. Rukia's eyes were wide, full of desperation and hope. He looked at everyone. Byakuya's, Soi Fon's, Chad's. They all mirrored the same expression. Hope. Desperation! He was ready. This could kill him...but he would do it anyways.

_Sacrifice balances things out...you can have no stability without sacrifice._

"Ban..." Ichigo started. A violent gust of wind blanketed the Seireitei, with Ichigo as the source. It soon formed an invisible twister. Debris of the clock tower swirled around Ichigo.

"Transport! Middle earth, Titan period" Juha Bach screamed in a trance his, palm outstretched. A black portal appeared behind Ichigo, swallowing him whole. Just like that, the orange haired Shinigami was gone.

Juha Bach steadied himself, still dazed. How had that boy done this? He was more than ten thousand years old! There was no way he could have surpassed Juha Bach's powers. Without a word, Juha Bach disappeared.

"Ichigo?" Rukia called out softly. No reply. Tears flooded Rukia's eyes. "Ichigo!"

* * *

Mikasa Ackerman was officially pissed. She had to be assigned to the rear guard of the evacuation. Eren was not in the rear guard. This was a problem. Eren was a warrior; his passion for killing titans was a great motivator. Mikasa got that. But that was no reason for her to not worry about Eren. She had nightmares about him dying. Him...her only family. And then, it had happened. Eren had been eaten by a Titan. Eren. Dead. Family. Gone. She refused to believe it.

He was her only family, and he had the nerve to die. She shuddered as she moved on her 3-D manoeuvre gear. Eren. Dead. She located three titans. All the rage she had inside of her...all the fury. She saw the Titans as an outlet. An outlet to all the sorrows she had faced. The horrors she had seen. She ran on the roof of an abandoned house, and leaped. She used her gear to get behind the titan. Like a whirlwind she dropped down on the titan. Her blades sliced through the nape of the titan's neck. She didn't have the time to relish the kill. She had to keep moving.

Eren. Dead. He had been her only family, and now he was gone? He couldn't have just gone! He couldn't have just left her to this cold, cruel world! She screamed her lungs out as she felt her blades seeping through the neck of another titan. She jumped to fixate her gear, but fell awkwardly. She was out of gas. Damn it!

Eren. Dead. Why did her brain flash these two words through her mind? She got down on her knees, watching as the Titan advanced closer. It was pretty big, a seven meter class. She was going to die the same way Eren did. Fate it seems, had a cruel sense of humour.

_Fight, Mikasa...FIGHT!_

She heard these words, and felt a warmth in her heart she hadn't in quite some time.

_Fight!_

How could she? She was helpless.

_FIGHT MIKASA!_

She got to her feet slowly, holding her swords, ready for one last stand. She wasn't going to die this pathetic death. She was going to die like Eren. Die a hero. She looked at the titan, he was just ten metres away from her.

It was then that she felt it. A sudden pressure forcing her down to her knees. For a minute, she thought there was a titan behind her. But, there was nothing. The pressure was so strong, even the titan felt it. It scratched its head, and stared into the sky. Mikasa squinted, making out a small image in the distance.

* * *

Ichigo felt the nothingness. Only, he hadn't finished saying the word which triggered it. Then, he found himself back in the sky. He looked around, trying to take in what he saw. He was in the middle of a battlefield. Only, Humans were fighting naked. Wait, what? That wasn't right. Ichigo had gone through a lot of stupid things, but this was the weirdest it got. What the hell? He noticed they weren't humans. No, humans didn't have those expressions. It was only then did he notice that the 'Humans' were seven to fifteen metres tall.

What the hell? He noticed one of these abnormal things walking towards a girl. She was around Ichigo's age, her hair stopped at her shoulders. She seemed to be wearing a red scarf. Why? That was when he noticed he was just five feet above the Titan. It tried to swat him out the air.

Ichigo was surely loosing track of time. He had just appeared here, but it had seemed like forever. His mouth was already saying the word. He looked at the girl on the streets eye. They had a fierce sense of determination in them. That was all Ichigo needed.

"Bankai!"

* * *

Mikasa felt like she was the centre of a storm. She didn't know why, but there was a strong glow of blue energy right above the Titan. Then, the blue contorted to a sick black. It was like a creature with black nails was slashing at the sky. Ripples of power surged from the being on top of the Titan.

"Mikasa!" she heard someone say. She didn't bother looking. Her eyes were fixated on the black energy. She noticed Armin and her friends drop close to her.

"What the heck?!" Jean said, looking at the ripples of black energy. Then, it cleared.

"How's he doing that?" Connie yelled, a little scared. "He's just hovering there"

Mikasa could see him now. He had orange hair, and his eyes seemed to glow green. He wore a black suit, with crossed straps going around his neck. In his right hand, he had a sword. Sword may not be the right term. It was a weapon with a handle in the middle and two black blades on either side. He just floated in the sky. That was when she noticed three other titans.

"Shit! Mikasa, we need to go. Now!" Armin said, and grabbed her. Mikasa's gaze however, was still on the unceremonious visitor. There was a flicker of where he stood, and he was gone. The others were busy trying to fend off titans as Armin loaded gas into Mikasa's 3-D manoeuvre gear.

There was the sickening sound of metal slicing flesh. Ichigo materialised behind the now dead titan. His eyes glowed a fiery green. His image blurred, and streams of blood dropped down the other three titan's neck.

"What the hell is happening?" Jean yelled. Mikasa didn't know what was happening. She did know one thing though. This man was not humanity's enemy. Reiner and Berthold arrived at the scene.

"You won't believe what's happening!" Reiner said.

"A titan's killing the others close to the whole in the wall!"

This caught Mikasa's attention. "We better go there then!"

"I agree" a voice from behind said. She noticed it to be the Titan slayer.

"Who are you?" Jean asked, his swords at the ready. Everyone thought it best to do the same.

"Not an enemy" his voice seemed like it was under a trance. It didn't sound very genuine.

"We do not know that for sure" Annie said in the same boring voice she always had.

"I slew four of those things. I think I des-." He suddenly pressed his right hand to his forehead. His eyes flickered, showing a tawny brown. It was only for a moment, and was immediately replaced by the glowing. "My situation is complicated. I will explain later..."

"Fair enough" Armin said, and got ready to move. "See if you can keep up with us"

The boy smiled. "I'll try" and in a blur, they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Mikasa had seen quite a few Titan-slaying people. She had seen Eren, Annie, the mirror, and even Levi himself, all though not in action. Out of all the titan-killers, this boy was the strongest. He didn't even seem to be taking an effort. He would just disappear, and reappear behind the Titan's neck, severing it.

"What is that guy?" Jean said, a grudging respect sticking to his voice.

"He's like a Shinigami...I heard stories" said Sasha, watching in Awe as the rogue Titan and the orange-haired boy massacred the Titans.

"Shinigami huh?" Connie said. "Next, you're going to tell us unicorns fart rainbows"

"I'm not kidding! My grandmother told me once; she met this really old Shinigami in a black coat. He had this long white beard and a wooden cane"

"I'm still holding on to Uni-WHOA MIKASA DUCK!"

Mikasa wasn't an idiot to hesitate. She ducked and saw a hand loom over her head. She glared at the Titan. It punched her, or at least, where she had stood. She jumped up, ran along its arms, and leaped again. She got to its shoulder blades, and cut off its head.

"Thanks" She said, gearing over to Connie for his warning. He just stared in awe.

"Jesus Mikasa, you're a beast!"

She watched as the Rogue Titan fell. Wait...what was that? The boy had fallen as well. He didn't have the weapon he was slaughtering the titans with. He had...two blades. One smaller, one larger. That was when she noticed something coming out of the flesh of the rogue titan.

"Eren!" She screamed, and jumped down. There he was, his eyes closed and arising from the Titan. He seemed to be on the brink of consciousness. Mikasa threw her arms around him, letting her tears fall.

Annie however, was more interested in the Orange haired boy. He was conscious as well. He rubbed his head, and looked around him.

"Wh-where the hell am I?" He asked his voice faint.

"Wall Maria" Annie said coldly.

"Wall what? I need a date! What year?"

"What's that?" Jean asked, helping the orange haired boy up. His clothes had changed, and his eyes were a tawny black, not the blue he remembered seeing.

"You don't know what a year is?"

"Oh we know. It's just we don't have a name for all of this"

"When were you born?" the boy pried.

"January fifth. I don't see how this is helping you" Jean said, looking at Mikasa cry over Eren's body. _Why was this jackass so important to her? And more importantly, how the hell was he in the Titan?_

"January fifth...?" the boy pried.

"January fifth. What about it?"

"What damned year?!" he yelled now.

"We don't know!" Jean took him by the sleeves of his coat. "Listen up. I don't know, so stop asking me anything else"

He probably shouldn't have done that. The next thing he knew, he was face first on the ground. The boy glared at him.

"Don't pick off more than you can chew on!"

"You wanna go at it, Carrot-top?" Jean said through gritted teeth.

"Oh it's on, Brownie!" he said, and charged at Jean. Jean was ready for him. It would have been pretty brutal if Annie hadn't stepped in between both of them.

"We are still in hostile enemy territory. I would suggest fighting somewhere else" She said, with a rather amused look. One of the rare moments Annie should glimpses of emotion.

"I'm going to need explanations...about what I did in the past half-hour" The boy said, walking towards Annie.

"You can start by telling us your name" Sasha said, looking at him with the same look a scientist gave a lab-rat.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki" He said.

"Kurosaki..." Connie frowned, like he had heard of the word.

"We need to move, Eren. Quick, how much do you remember of the previous hour" Armin asked. Eren was still shaky, holding onto Mikasa's shoulder.

"I-I don't remember anything. Just..." He looked at his thumb.

"Just?" Armin enquired.

"It's-it's nothing" He shook away the question. "My gear is missing...I'm going to need someone's help"

"I'll do it" She said, and without a word, put her arms around his waist.

"Just great..." Eren sighed. As if he hadn't been embarrassed enough.

"Let's go everybody" Armin said, and launched his gear.

* * *

"Sir, Eren is not a threat!" Armin tried in vain. "And if he goes down...It is going to be a major blow to humanity!"

"Ready..." The sound of cannons altering their angle rumbled.

_Boom_.

Armin and Mikasa opened their eyes to see loose flesh. They were under the, they suspected carcass, of a titan. It was Eren. He sat on one of the rib-cages.

"FIRE!" Someone yelled.

Waves of blue energy appeared out of nowhere. The intensity of its attack caused all the cannons to...burst? The trio just gazed in awe as the dust settled and looked at the sky. There he was. Ichigo Kurosaki.

"He's flying..." Murmurs went through the crowds of soldiers stationed there.

"HALT!" General Pixis yelled. He looked up, and pointed towards the hovering boy. "What are you?!"

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki...And that" He pointed towards Eren. "Is not an enemy!"

"He can transform into a Titan. At any time he could turn on us!"

"I saw what he did! It-it's still hazy, but I know what I saw! He fought the Titans along with me"

"You?" Pixis glared. "You attacked us. What makes you think we should believe you?!"

"Because him, and I are the only chances you've got at fighting whatever those things were!"

"You speak as if you do not know what they are!" Pixis spat.

"I don't! I don't even know what I'm doing here! All I know is that we're on the same side!" he got down in the front of the rebellious trio. "Oh, and did I mention the fact that I'm a Shinigami? Imagine if word of me got out"

"What makes you think we would react in a bad way?" Pixis challenged.

"The way you're freaking out about him being a Titan! Why not use this as an advantage!"

"Yes!" Armin rejoined the argument. "Plenty of strategies can be formulated because of Eren's ability!"

Pixis frowned. "Fine!"

Now Armin frowned and started to say something along the lines of _that's it? He just accepted it without arguing further? _But was silenced by Ichigo ruffling his hair rather harder than needed.

"Th-thanks" Eren said, as the carcass disappeared.

"No problem" Ichigo said, pressing his right hand to his head.

"What's wrong?" Armin asked.

"My head's been killing me since I got here..." He shook it off. "I need to get used to the happenings around here...you mind explaining things to me?"

"Not so fast!" Pixis yelled as the posse moved. He gestured for them to walk towards them. He was accompanied by two others. Armin inhaled sharply. It was Erwin and Levi! Man-kinds strongest!

"Erwin has decided to enlist you in the survey corps!" He pointed at Eren.

"WH-what?" He said.

"You are going to be the sole hope of an operation outside the walls! We're going to need you to go to the forest of giant trees. And last time I checked, you already wanted to be a part of the survey corps" Erwin said, poker-faced.

"No!" Mikasa said. "Eren still needs to recover. He doesn't even remember how to transform properly yet!"

Eren looked at his thumb with a sudden interest. "It's true...I don't remember much"

"I'm sure Hanji will come up with a way" Levi said with the same bored expression Annie wore. "You changed now didn't you? I'm guessing that means your power is instinctive"

"If Eren joins the survey corps, so will we!" Armin said.

"If I recall, you are already a part of the survey corps..." Erwin said.

"N-no. We were in training! We still haven't graduated"

"Consider this your first mission then" Erwin said, and began to walk away. "The mission starts next month...be prepared"

"Hold it!"

Levi and Erwin turned around to see the Orange-haired boy glaring at them. "He doesn't even remember how to trigger the effect! How'd you think he's going to know it on your mission?"

"He transformed now, didn't he? Or tried to transform, by the looks of that carcass a couple of minutes ago"

"That's bullshit! It was instinct!" Ichigo talked as if he knew everything about instinct.

"Fine then" It was Levi who glared now. "You meet me at the training grounds. We'll have a battle. Whoever wins gets to decide what to do with Eren!"

"Deal!" Ichigo growled.

"You don't understand Ichigo" Armin said. "That's humanity's strongest soldier!"

"I'm going to kick his ass" Ichigo growled as he watched the short soldier disappear. He turned to Armin. "I didn't quite catch your names"

"Armin Arlert" He extended his hand. "Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman. We thank you for your service!"

"No need to be so formal" Ichigo said, a frown on his face. "I'm your friend, not your superior officer"

Armin nodded. "So, do you mind me asking, how did you get here?"

"That" He said. "Is a long story"

* * *

"Shinigami! I knew it!" Sasha said in triumph at the barracks of the survey corps. Everyone but Annie, Reiner and Berthold had decided to join it. Ichigo sat in the middle of the barracks, his black swords mounted on sheathes in his back.

"You really expect us to believe you're a Shinigami?" Connie asked.

"Truthfully, no. I didn't believe it myself" He said.

"Then what makes you think I'd believe you?"

"The fact that I flew" he looked at the training dummy in the middle of the barracks. "And this" he took out his smaller sword and made a cutting action. A blue wave of energy sliced the dummy in half.

"That's so cool! DO IT AGAIN!" Sasha said. Ichigo did the same action. Nothing happened.

"That's not right" Again, nothing happened. He realised why. "There's no Reishi"

"Reishi?" Eren asked.

"Reishi is the spiritual energy residing in a person. In a research, we found out that Shinigami's Reishi is borrowed from the surroundings...I must have used all the Reishi here in Bankai. But that's impossible! There has to be Reishi here somewhere!" he closed his eyes, concentrating. He couldn't feel a thing.

"Damn it! I-I don't feel any Reishi at all!" his swords were evaporating. He tried desperately to cling onto them, but they continued turning to Reishi until Ichigo was empty handed.

"How about you train with our swords?" Jean threw a wooden sword towards Ichigo. He caught it easily.

"If you can beat all of us, you can beat Corporal Levi" Armin said. Ichigo nodded.

So, they sparred. Ichigo was down to the last two, Eren and Mikasa. Eren walked to him.

Ichigo took up his pose. He looked into Eren's eyes.

_Eyes are vital, Ichigo. You can tell a person's character just by looking into their eyes...their character in turn, will tell you about their battle strategy,_ Urahara's words always reverberated in him when he entered a fight. He stared into Eren's sapphire green eyes. Determination seemed etched onto his eyes.

_Some loss in his past maybe?_ The broken people were usually the first to attack. They would get cocky if taunted. Cockiness would in turn, lead to mistakes. Eren lashed out at Ichigo with his sword. Ichigo blocked it with ease, and jumped back. He circled Eren with a smirk. Eren lashed at him again, swiping at him, baseball style. Ichigo ducked, rolled behind Eren and slashed. Eren blocked it, moving with astonishing speed.

"Ugh" Ichigo said and jumped back again. It was Eren's turn to smirk. "Guess Shinigami's aren't all that powerful"

It was over in three seconds. That had been the opening Ichigo had been waiting. Ichigo kneed Eren in the gut, and his sword was millimetres away from Eren's throat.

"Guess we aren't" Ichigo grinned at Eren's frustration and offered him his hand. He pulled Eren to his feet. "You're strong, but you're easily distracted" to everyone's surprise, Eren didn't retort. He nodded with grudging respect.

It was Mikasa's turn. She picked up Eren's fallen wooden sword. They circled each other. Ichigo frowned as he looked into her black eyes. He felt...nothing. Not a single emotion was conveyed through her eyes. Everyone else he had fought, there had been something. No matter how faint, it had been there. With her...there was nothing. Absolutely nothing...

Ichigo lunged at Mikasa, swinging with all his might. She bent low, the sword missing her by a hair's breadth. Ichigo did a spin and continued his relentless assault. Mikasa simply dodged most, and blocked the others. Her strength was surprising.

Ichigo swung his sword above his head in a circular manner, and tried to stab Mikasa in the hip. She anticipated it and brought her sword down on Ichigo's.

_Not good..._ Ichigo changed his fighting style to completely defensive. He would wait for her to attack. _Come on..._

She did, but it was completely unorthodox. She would just give a few weak attacks, and withdraw. It was torturous. Ichigo, submitting to frustration, swung his sword with all his might at Mikasa. She blocked it with her own. There was a sickening _Crunch_, as both the swords broke.

Ichigo took this as an opportunity, dropped his sword quickly, and lunged at her with his fist.

Ichigo groaned as he found himself on the ground five seconds later. Mikasa it seems, was stronger at hand-to-hand than she was at sword fighting. She had anticipated Ichigo's attack, and crushed his fist. She had then proceeded to bringing her foot down on his knee, crippling Ichigo. Once crippled, she kneed him at the hip. Her knee placed on his chest, her gaze still blank.

"Looks like you don't do so well fighting humans" She said with a metallic voice and got off Ichigo. He got up and stared as she walked back. Why had she not shown even the slightest hint that she had emotions. His orange hair fell over his eyes from the sweat.

"Turn off the deal, Ichigo" Armin said as everyone dispersed. "You're strong, but Corporal Levi is something else...just try not to get on his bad side" and with that Armin showed him to his room. It had a bunker bed, a wooden desk and chair. But besides that, it was blank. He lay down, wondering how he would ever get back to his home.

* * *

"Let the expedition, begin!" Erwin yelled, as the countless survey-corps leaders left for the world beyond the walls. Each one of them on horses, riding towards god knows where. Ichigo had become accustomed to the gear, and had a fair amount of knowledge about the titans. He rode the horse alongside Armin, who seemed to be engrossed in thought.

"What're you thinking about?" Ichigo said. Armin noticed Ichigo, and shook his head.

"Everything about this mission. They haven't given us a lot of information about the mission. From the map, the only place where we can use our 3-D manoeuvre gear is the forest of giant trees. But why would we go there? That's a Titan hotspot! Sending Eren there is suicide. Why would we threaten humanity's only hope?"

"I smell bullshit as well" Ichigo said, reining his horse as they reached the forest.

"It's just it doesn't make much sense!" Armin said, activating his gear. Ichigo followed suit, watching as the soldiers posted at the trees mounted the horses and went back. Ichigo, Mikasa and Armin landed on the same tree.

"And then there was the female titan?"

"Female titan?" Mikasa asked, looking at Armin. He nodded.

"I-I saw an abnormal titan. It...It's like Eren, there's someone inside there. I know it sounds crazy, but it killed my squad and picked me up. Then, it just let me down!"

"That's why you were the only one who appeared late...you and Jean" Ichigo said, observing Jean's grimace.

"Yes...it was like it knew how our gear worked. Plus it was fast. It...changed course and went back for some reason..."

"It's back" Mikasa said, getting out her swords. Everyone followed suit.

"Wait!" someone yelled. "Our orders were to keep the Titan's busy. If that one is heading for the forest, it's an abnormal. We can't do anything!"

"This is jeopardising the mission! People could die!" Ichigo said. "And in case you didn't notice, there are no titans here!"

A guy with shaggy, greying hair appeared next to Ichigo. "Listen here hotshot, orders are orders. I'm Captain Kurt Strip, and I surpass you in rank and skill! And I got these orders from Captain Erwin himself!"

The ground thundered as the Titan sped past them. Ichigo only had a glance of it. It had blonde hair, and was, to his estimate, 12 metres in length.

"We have to stop it!" Jean yelled.

"Leave it! As for you" Kurt pointed towards a gathering of dust far off. "The titans are here. I'm not letting some asshole who joined the Survey corps through false means tell me what to do!" the Titans were at the foot of the trees, clawing at it like they did the walls.

"Are you going to stop me from fighting them as well?" Ichigo growled.

"Yes! Our objective is to keep them busy. They don't seem to be going anywhere, so I suggest you cool your hot ass and shut up! That's an order!"

"What did you say?!" Ichigo said, glaring at the Captain.

"Let me put this in simpler terms. SHUT-THE-FUCK-UP!" with those words, Kurt glided to the tree he was posted at.

"It's okay Ichigo. He has a point" Armin said as the captain glared at Ichigo. "Us fighting them could lead to loss of lives...I find it better if we continue doing what we are now"

"It's frustrating!" Ichigo sighed in dismay, sitting down next to Mikasa. He looked in her eyes. There it was. The same blank eyes. What had happened to her? He recognised those eyes though. He had worn them for quite some time after his mother died. He had gotten over her death looking at what was important. His family, his friends. The most he knew about Mikasa was that she had lived with Eren for a while. Her parents had died, but that was it. It must have been bad to traumatise her this badly.

His eyes grew tired, and eventually, the darkness beckoned.

* * *

"What do you make out of this Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked, now in his inner realm. "Why can't you lend me your powers?"

"That's funny. I remember helping your lazy ass as well!" his hollow snarled with that sick grin. His yellow eyes full of glee.

"I do not know. It is...curious. There is absolutely NO Reishi in this area...thus nullifying my ability of helping you"

"Why?"

"If I knew, I would tell"

"What do you make out of all of this? You too" Ichigo said, gesturing towards his hollow.

"This is all as shitty to me as it is to you, Ichigo. There's no fun in knowin' what's out there!"

"Yeah...easy for you to say. These people don't know what a year is...what do you say about that?"

"The past civilisation theory. You learnt it at school. I'm sure this is it. Something must have happened and released Reishi..."

That was when the ground shook. It caused the glass buildings of Karakura town to shatter, and an ear-piercing scream rang in Ichigo's ears.

"You better get to that, king. You wouldn't want to die now, would you?"

* * *

**AUTHOR NOTES: Hey guys! Now, I'm still new to Fanfiction, so I'm still getting around how to do what...and I plan on changing the story-line of the animes a little...Okay, maybe a lot! But, that's it! Hope you guys liked the chapter! Reviews are welcome :D Correct me if I've got a few of the terms in Shingeki no Kyojin wrong...**

**-TDR**


	3. Chapter 3

The scream echoed throughout the forest. Ichigo's frown got even more pronounced. _What the hell...?_ He shielded his ears with his palms.

"Titan" Kurt said, squinting into the darkness of the forest. The titans were running into the forest.

"That's odd" Armin said. "They don't seem to care anymore!"

"That's a bad thing if I remember!" Ichigo growled and readied his gear. He felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Kurt.

"Orders are orders. We don't have the power to go against that many titans!"

"That's the difference between you and me" Ichigo said. "Your duty exceeds you" and with a shove, he jumped down to the nearest Titan.

It was pretty fast. Ichigo's speed was incredible. He just blazed towards the titan and crossed his arms. He reached the Titan's shoulder unnoticed. With a familiar _Slash,_ the titan crumbled. Without a second's hesitation, he launched himself in the air, latching himself high enough on a tree. He looked at the remaining squad.

"Are you just going to stand there?" He looked at Mikasa for this one. "Would you just stand there and do nothing while your world withers away?!"

Mikasa stared at him with those dark eyes. This wasn't the boy she had fought in the barracks...without a word, she and half of the squad got on their gear.

"Ha!" Connie said as he sawed a Titan's hand in half. Jean finished the job, slicing the nape of the neck. They were only slowing down the inevitable.

"They're too fast!" Armin said. He was right, even Ichigo had come to that grim conclusion. That was when he felt it. It was small, but it was definitely there. Reiatsu.

He screamed in frustration as a torrent of thoughts attacked his mind. What the hell was happening? It was like those movies that showed the life of an amnesiac. Except, Ichigo wasn't an amnesiac. There were images in his memory...images he didn't quite understand. They showed the head captain talking to an old lady, something about creating a portal. The voices sounded like they were coming from further away. He couldn't quite make out the exact meaning.

"Damn it..." He swore as he got on a branch. It was like the images were getting worse. He couldn't comprehend a single thing. That was when the lightning struck the ground. Or, what Ichigo perceived to be lightning. Everyone else knew exactly what it was.

"Eren must have transformed" Armin said, as he reached the branch Ichigo stood on. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah" Ichigo lied. What the hell were these visions? They just stood there in silence. The titans were returning towards the forest. It was almost...orderly. Not something anyone would expect from Titans. They just assumed their usual gnawing and acted as stupid as ever.

"I don't understand any of this!" Jean said. "This is all bullshit"

Such words of wisdom. Ichigo had to agree though. This was all bullshit. Everything about this screamed that.

That was when another bolt of lightning hit the ground, somewhere towards the middle of the forest.

"Twice?" Ichigo said, rubbing his throbbing head.

"Eren's not alone" Mikasa said, and dashed into the forest.

"No, Mikasa!" Armin protested. He couldn't follow her, however. The titans were climbing the trees. Armin couldn't believe it. They would fail though, they would reach a certain height and fall, but they would eventually try again.

"I'll follow her" Ichigo grunted, and launched his manoeuvre gear.

"We can handle things here" Connie called out. Ichigo didn't respond. Connie grinned, and jumped with fear as a Titan failed its quest of climbing up the tree.

"Maybe not so well" He muttered.

* * *

"Speeding ahead without backup isn't going to help!" Ichigo called out.

"You let your duty exceed you" Mikasa said, not slowing down the slightest bit. "I believe you said those exact same words. Tell me, isn't backup waiting. And isn't waiting part of what that captain said?"

Ichigo frowned as he caught up with Mikasa. Something was stirring inside him. _It must have something to do with that Reiatsu flair_, he told himself.

"Going in alone isn't going to help anyone!"

"I don't care!" Mikasa almost yelled something very unlike her. "I have to protect Eren, no matter what the cost!"

Ichigo stopped moving as he saw Mikasa grow smaller and smaller.

_I will protect Eren, no matter what the cost._

She was just like him. She too, needed to protect those dear to her. Ichigo picked up his pace, gliding even faster. He wasn't afraid of gas running out. No, he had something else. He had to help people. A person just like him. He now realised what it was like to be in Rukia's shoes the day she lent him her powers. He had found it. It may not have been as strong as he had believed it to be, but he had found it.

"Wait up!" He yelled, as he lunged towards Mikasa. He was a fast learner, and this showed. He had already reached Mikasa, who hadn't slowed down. "Let me help you!"

The black haired girl gave Ichigo a sideway glance. Why was this boy so adamant? She was a stranger to him. And he was weak. Oh boy he was weak. But, now that she looked at him, she felt something different. It was like an ember had sparked inside him. There was burning in his eyes she hadn't seen when they had fought.

"Fine"

Ichigo grinned slightly. The grin faded as they reached the tremors issued from deep within the forest. It showed the female titan's kick hovering over the body of Eren's titan form. The titan swooped lower, and looked at Eren, almost with a hunger. It was...eating Eren? It was gnawing at the flesh, until Ichigo saw what it had been chomping for. Eren's body. In one bite, it took Eren and stood erect. It started...running.

"Eren!" Mikasa yelled, as she rushed towards the Titan. Ichigo was about to follow when a figure swooped in and stopped Mikasa. Upon closer inspection, it was Corporal Levi.

"Stop. Look at the direction it is running in. Its movements are slower. We should follow it till it is more worn out" he noticed Ichigo and if possible, he frowned. Of course, a frown was what Levi usually wore, but it seemed more pronounced now that he looked at Ichigo. Ichigo, knowing it was common courtesy, frowned back. Without another word, the three of them launched themselves into the air, staying a considerable distance away from the female titan. Its movements were much slower now. That was good.

"We approach from behind" Mikasa said.

"Too predictable" Levi and Ichigo said at the same time. They glanced at each other, and Ichigo looked straight ahead. "It knows how 3-D manoeuvre works. We approach from the sides. Shinigami, distract it. You, approach from the left while I approach it from the right"

Ichigo moved towards the right, and got further in front of the titan. He had caught its attention. He dived in, and spin-sliced its left arm. It glared at him as he went for the left hand. It aimed a punch at him, but Ichigo manoeuvred himself above the punch. Mikasa and Levi appeared at either side of the titan and aimed for the neck. Of course, the titan brought its non-severed arm behind its neck and hardened it.

"Damn it..." Ichigo growled, as he aimed for the Titans stomach. He caused a terrible gash, and dodged being stepped on. That was when it happened. His eyes glowed again. In less than an instant, he was on top of the titan. He slashed at her hand, and watched as she fell down. His gear wasn't holding him. He was floating in air. Of course, Levi wasn't satisfied. Eren was inside that titan, and he needed it immobile. So, he proceeded further and slashed down the length of its stomach, forming a cross to Ichigo's previous slash. The titans hand fell down...

"Ha!" Mikasa said, and aimed for the neck. Levi noticed the titans' slight movement.

"No!" He said, but Ichigo had already realised the mistake. He appeared right in front of Mikasa, and grasped her by the hip.

"What?!" Mikasa yelled. She realised her mistake as the Titan lifted its hand in weak defence.

"Careful" his eyes still glowed. They flickered, and the tawny eyes returned as he landed on the branch of a tree nearby. The titan opened its mouth, and there was Eren. He was in some kind of yellowish goo. Levi dived in and scooped the limp body of the fallen titan-shifter.

"We move. Now. With an involuntary person, it is stupid to try and fight this titan" he said. Ichigo groggily got up, and looked at the titan. He watched as tears streamed down its cheeks. He almost felt pity. Almost once again, being a key-word. This titan had just slaughtered members of Levi's elite squad. That thing didn't deserve the pity he felt. With that, he followed Levi and Mikasa.

* * *

"The female titan is not Annie!" Eren protested, banging his balled fist on the table of the conference. "You've got it wrong! Annie is strong...There is no way in HELL she's the titan..."

"Right now, we can't take any risks..." Levi said, as calm as always. "If Armin is right, we should check. Just to be sure" Levi had become well acquainted with Armin. The same could not be said for the ginger.

"Just to be sure? Do you hear yourself?" Eren spat. "I'm telling you, Annie is not the female tita-."

"Eren" Mikasa said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Remember. Even you know it was Annie. The kick she used, you must have recognised it" her words were soft, but they had a girt to them. Eren pushed Mikasa's hand away.

"Shut up! It can't be Annie...It just can't"

"It has to be..." Ichigo chose this moment to speak. "If I remember correctly, which I'm not too sure about; Annie was there when you came out the Titan's carcass the first time..."

"And Annie has blonde hair. So does the female titan. The facts just aren't adding up"

"If you knew Annie, you would know!"

"Do you know Annie, Eren?" Mikasa said. "Where is she from? Her age?"

"I...I..." it was as if Eren had suddenly lost the ability to talk.

"Face it Eren, it's her. And besides, so what if we're wrong? It's not going to affect Annie in anyway" Armin said. Eren didn't reply. He just sat down in disbelief.

"Well then. Our plan is to lure her to the underground. If she chooses to transform there, she will be quite segregated. If she chooses to transform before then, we will have to rely on your titan powers"

"And my Shinigami abilities" Ichigo reminded. He frowned. Had he just said that? No, he couldn't have. But he had. Erwin stared at him

"If I remember correctly, you were 'showing off your moves'" That might have been the only time Erwin ever used the slang. "at the barracks. Your sword disappeared, along with your shinigami powers and form. You are currently as useful as a normal soldier. I suggest you not get cocky"

It was Ichigo's turn to sit down in mock defeat. Something was different about him...the month he had stayed here, he indulged himself in training. Only training. It was like his fighting style had changed...he held his hands to his temples. Eren wasn't the only one under mental insecurity. And then there had been the part where he had mentioned Reishi was absorbed from the surroundings...had he really said that? He gripped his orange hair. He was on the brink of insanity. Zangetsu and his hollow didn't seem to even bother. Something was wrong...something was definitely wrong.

"This meeting is thus adjourned. It is already in our best interests that your friend Jean will be disguised to look as you for the 'trip' to the inner walls" Erwin got up, and everybody left the room. Everyone but Eren, Mikasa, Armin and Ichigo. Ichigo suddenly felt weak in the legs...What the hell was happening to him? All of this had to have been something Juha Bach had done. He could almost hear his hollow saying '_No shit_'.

"Ichigo" Ichigo looked up to see Armin staring at him with concerned eyes. "Are you alright?"

Ichigo nodded. "F-fine" second time he had lied about that. He exited the room, clutching his head...Why did it hurt this badly?  
He walked out the door into the darkness of the night. The moon illuminating the walls. He groggily wandered the roads like a drunken man. He had no idea where he was going. He was going wherever his legs would take him...after what seemed like hours, he hit his head against something. As if from a trance, he looked at what he had hit. He was right next to the white walls.

"What the hell..." He muttered, rubbing his head. The pain was dulling, but it was definitely there. It was more of an irritation than a pain. He felt Reiatsu again. Except, it wasn't an external source. It was coming from...him? That was impossible. There was no Reishi in the surroundings.

_Goddamn it, my Reishi has nothing to do with the surroundings!_

If this was true, why was he having visions of Yoruichi and Urahara lecturing him on the subject? He was crucifying himself. The more he thought about his past life, the more it hurt his head. A roar filled the sky. Ichigo looked at the top of the walls.

"That's just great. Freaking great" he muttered. He saw...a titan. The titan's head hovered over the walls, its skin a sickly red. He heard the alarms going off. He didn't have his gear with him. He swore and jumped back. Something had happened. Something had struck the wall. Realisation dawned on Ichigo. This was the colossal titan Armin had been telling him about. He stared at it in disgust. But if his memory sufficed, it had taken down the outer wall with nothing but a kick. Why was it struggling now? The material was the same.

_Run. Run away. Run away from this spot._

Something urged him. Ichigo didn't take lightly to voices in his mind. A certain voice in his head was a pain the ass. But, Ichigo followed it nonetheless. What was taking the Corps so long? He watched as people rushed out their homes, screaming. He ran past priests preaching about the walls giving them strength. That was long as the walls were there, no harm would befall mankind.

_Keep praying, and we're going to die!_

Finally, the military arrived. He met up with squad he was familiar with.

"Where's Eren?" Ichigo demanded, noticing the hot-head was missing.

"We can't risk having him here" Armin said. "And you don't have gear"

"We need Eren" Ichigo said. "Look at that thing!"

"This is under commander Erwin's orders" Armin said.

"What is it with you guys and ord-."

**Boom.**

The titan had stopped kicking the walls, so what the hell was that noise? Ichigo turned around, and saw two seven-metre class titans running towards the livestock of humans.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo said, and watched as Jean cut one of the titans before it could reach the humans. The other titan however, reached the humans and started devouring. Another boom. Two more titans. That was when Ichigo realised what was happening. Up. The colossal titan was dropping the smaller ones. It couldn't destroy the wall, so it now resorted to hurling Titans from those heights. The titans didn't seem to be affected by the fall. More of the military arrived. Ichigo felt useless, without gear. More and more titans were falling. It was raining titans.

"As long as the walls stand, no evil shall harm u-." The priest never finished his sentence. A titan had swallowed him whole. Ichigo ran to the barracks as fast as possible and donned his gear. He was already late. He ran out to the building, and beheld a sight too gory to comprehend in a second. The titans were mercilessly slaughtering the humans. Ichigo steeled himself, and got ready to work. He made a promise in that instant.

_Every last one of them is going to die. They're going to be slaughtered!_

He reached a titan, and with astonishing speed brought it down. He slaughtered up to ten of the titans terrorising the human live stock. The military was doing a good job keeping the titans busy. They were falling quickly though. Ichigo reached the walls.

"We need to get that titan" Jean yelled.

"You think, Jean?" Connie spat as he and Sasha killed a Titan.

"I'll do it!" Ichigo volunteered, and without a word, used his gear to reach the top of the wall. The titan's arms were huge. Huge enough for it to just crouch and scoop up titans. Taking the opportunity, Ichigo leaped onto the titans shoulders, swords in his hand.

The steam blinded him for second, but that didn't stop him. He might not be in his Shinigami form, he might have lost it that day at the barracks, but that wasn't going to stop him from slaughtering the titans. Ichigo lunged for its neck and brought his swords down. With a crack, his swords broke. He swore and swerved his way towards the walls. The titan wasn't going to be scooping up any other titans. Ichigo had caught its attention. Good. That was a starter. Now equipped with nothing but broken swords, he stared at the titan with a malevolent gaze.

He felt the abnormality. Even the titan felt it. He looked right above the titan. A rip appeared in the sky. A Garganta. Ichigo's heart beat faster. The titan looked at it with great curiosity.

"Dance, Sode No Shirayuki!" a voice screamed from behind the titan. Not from the Garganta. Ichigo recognised that voice. He watched as the titan's hands began to freeze. Apparently, the titan noticed as well. It tried moving its hands fast enough, but it was too slow. With great heights, came a great disability for mobility it seemed.

That was when the Garganta opened fully. Ichigo was high enough to notice that brown coat with a green shirt anywhere.

"Awaken, Benihime!" A red torrent of energy struck the titan with such intensity that the titan staggered. It had lost its footing.

"Well?" The voice which had issued from behind the titan spoke up. "Are you just going to stand there, Ichigo?"

Ichigo felt himself grin.

"Kisuke! Rukia!"

* * *

**Now, I think I have to explain quite a lot, so bear with meh D:  
First off, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!  
Secondly, I hear the one thing that keeps reappearing is the fact that Mikasa beat Ichigo. I think I've given you a hint for that. Notice how Ichigo fights Mikasa and Eren. I'm very, very biased to Ichigo. I mean, I'm the type of guy who thinks Ichigo can beat Goku(even though I know he can't)That little episode will be explained sooner.  
And thirdly, ...I've got nothing...-_-**

**Anyways, thanks for the review! Since most of you feel the last chapter was rushed, I took my time with this one...Hope you guys enjoy!**

**-TDR**


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